Our Dog Friendly Clinic

by Jess RVN

PHP has recently joined the Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme through a collaborative project between Dogs Trust and the British Veterinary Behaviour Association. This means the practice now holds a Dog Friendly accreditation. But what does that really mean, and are not all veterinary clinics dog friendly?

To be a Dog Friendly Clinic, a member of the veterinary team must complete training in multiple areas, with the aim of combining veterinary care with canine behaviour to ensure our practice is a comfortable environment for dogs, owners, and the veterinary team alike. The training includes everything from stress-free handling techniques and behavioural development from puppy to adulthood, to making our practice more dog friendly.

It is important to understand that visits to the vet can be scary, even if it is for a routine vaccination, which is why we want to try to make these visits as stress-free as possible. When coming in for an appointment, it is important to take everything into consideration, from the journey into the practice to the actual appointment. When anxiety builds up, this can be known as “trigger stacking” — from the anxious car ride, to waiting in a busy room, to the smell of an unusual new room with a strange person. As an owner, you can help reduce the stress of vet visits by getting your pets used to car journeys and using calming pheromones.

At PHP, we are fortunate enough to be able to provide separate dog and cat waiting areas at our Lytchett branch, allowing patients to avoid each other and have personal space to settle in an unfamiliar environment. You may also notice the Adaptil plug-ins situated around our waiting and consult rooms, which release pheromones that send out chemical messages to create a calming environment. You may have also noticed our “Nervous Bandanas”. When it comes to animals, the colour yellow often signifies nervousness. Our bandanas are sprayed with Adaptil and not only help to keep your pet calm, but also signal to other owners that your dog may be a little worried and needs some more space. If this would still be too overstimulating for your canine companion, then waiting outside the practice can also help reduce their anxiety away from other noisy patients and strange smells.

Once you’re called through for your appointment, allow your dog time to adjust to the new environment and explore the consultation room before anything actually happens. Remember, we want these to be positive experiences and never want to push a dog into an uncomfortable situation. If your dog is very anxious about visiting the practice, it would be worthwhile to have appointments with one of our nurses to get them used to the veterinary environment without any procedures happening. It may also be of interest, if your dog is particularly worried, to start muzzle training them.

Despite certain stigmas towards muzzles, they should not be seen as something negative. In fact, it’s one of the best ways you can advocate for your dog. Muzzles are not only there to protect our staff, but also your dog too. However, it is important to remember that if you are planning on muzzle training, you must ensure the muzzle is of a suitable size and fits well, as well as practising muzzle training at home. This is to ensure that when the muzzle goes on, it’s a positive experience with lots of treats, and not just something bad that happens only at the vets.

As with people, all of our canine friends are different, and we want to be able to cater for everyone and their specific needs. All of our members of staff have training in appropriate handling and adapt their caring techniques to provide for your dog individually. If your four-legged friend does have any specific needs, please don’t hesitate to let us know prior to an appointment or hospitalisation with us.

We can provide everything from calming plug-ins to rubber floor mats and orthopaedic beds for our arthritic friends who have sore joints, as well as longer appointment slots for dogs who need a little more time to help them settle in unfamiliar environments. If you have any questions regarding our Dog Friendly Clinic, please feel free to contact the practice.